After some sudden attrition at the point guard spot, the Grizzlies are calling on a familiar face, Memphis native Elliot Williams, to help fill the gaps in the backcourt.
The Grizzlies are running low on guard options following recent injuries sustained by Mike Conley and Courtney Lee. Conley is nursing an achilles injury and Lee, who started in place of the injured Conley this Wednesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder, suffered a hip injury during that contest.
With Conley and C-Lee sidelined, and with the recent departure of former third string point guard Russ Smith, Mario Chalmers stands alone as the only healthy facilitator on the roster. Chalmers is a proven champion with ballhandling and scoring abilities that can more than suffice in a starting point guard role. ‘Rio played admirably in Conley’s absence Wednesday night in OKC on his way to 9 assists (compared to only one turnover) and a team-high 23 points. However, since the Grizzlies can’t depend on Chalmers or any one human to run the point for a punishing full 48-minutes a night, they wisely sought out a player who can provide the guard position with some much needed depth.
Enter Elliot Williams. As first reported by Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports, the Grizzlies inked a 10-day contract with the Memphis native on Thursday, January 7th. As an NBA player, most notably with the Portland Trail Blazers and the Philadelphia 76ers, the combo-guard has posted career averages of 5.1 points and 1.5 rebounds while playing 13.7 minutes per game.
At 6-4, Williams has the skills necessary to run the point and the size to effectively defend either guard position.The former Memphis Tigers standout last logged NBA minutes in the spring of 2015, playing an eight-game stint with the Utah Jazz and a five-game stint with the New Orleans Pelicans.
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In the meanwhile, he has been tearing up the NBA D-League. Following up on his 2015 D-League championship, Williams has lead the Santa Cruz Warriors this season with per-game averages of 28.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 5.8 assists.
A touted recruit during his prep career at Memphis area St.George’s High School, Williams signed with Duke University and played a season under Coach Mike Krzyzewski before transferring to the University of Memphis in 2009. After one season at the U of M, the Tigers’ leading scorer declared for the 2010 NBA Draft where he became a first round selection of the Trail Blazers, who took him with the 22nd overall pick.
AND ONE:
As many Memphis fans will recall, Williams isn’t the first native son named “Elliot” to sign a 10-day contract with the Grizzlies. That would be hometown hero and legendary Memphis Tiger guard Elliot Perry, who briefly lent his services to the basketball bears while appearing in 2 games during the 2001-02 season.
What impact will Elliot Williams have on the Grizzlies? Could this realistically lead to additional 10-day contract offers or a long-term role? Add your comment to join the discussion.